Weekly Round Up

Time for this week’s round-up of the best of the blog posts which I’ve read over the past week. These are the posts that have moved me, taught me something, inspired me, and which I’ve wanted to share with you. Don’t forget if you have written a post which you would like readers to see, just leave a comment below.

We all know we will die someday – though many of us don’t want to face up to that fact – but what’s it like to know that “someday” may be closer than we thought? This is the question Jennponders in Are We Terminal? a collection of thoughts on her blog from women with metastatic breast cancer. Tami chooses to focus on hope through the darkness and Catherine in her latest concludes with this life-affirming quote, which we all would do well to heed:

I love living, and I plan on basking in life. Yes,I have fears. I worry over death. I worry over hurting others, particularly my husband. I am scared of what might come. But in the “now” I do my very best – you know? I just do my very best. I love my very best. There will never be enough time, but right “now” feels quite enough.

I referred above to women with metastatic breast cancer, but of course, this doesn’t exclude men. Knot Telling and Le Amazzoni Furiose both share the story of Bill Becker, a male with metastatic breast cancer, and the heartbreaking news that his journey is coming to an end.

Nancy’s Pointis celebrating 4 years in the blogosphere. I vividly remember when Nancy first started blogging and I am so thrilled to see how her blog has grown to become such an integral and respected voice in our community.

Some of you will be aware of the latest campaign which upset many of us with its crassness (see Speechlessfor background). It was a small victory to have it stopped before it even started – read Ann’s post on how this came about and check out this great post on the Double Whammied blog – it gets the point across in a wickedly funny way.

Lisawas diagnosed with breast cancer in the nineties, and in her latest post, she reflects back on just how far we’ve come in the past twenty years when it comes to diagnosing, treating and surviving the disease. As a companion piece read Carolineon The Pessimistic Side Of Curing Cancer, and Lulu Change on her wish list for the NIH

In the blogosphere, we are bracing ourselves for “Pinktober”, that time of year when so much that we see, hear and even taste, is awash in pink merchandising. Diane and Katherine dish up the unvarnished facts about breast cancer; Lara calls out the cutesy euphemisms used in “awareness raising” campaigns, while Jamiehas decided to “work with the pink” this year – check out her infographic on her blog on giving a purpose to PINK.

Elsewhere in the blogosphere…

A cry from the heart by thecancer curmudgeon to quit blaming the cancer patient for getting cancer.

It’s hard coping with chemotherapy, but this summer has been particularly difficult for Jo.

Thank you so much for having my post in your round up. Once again, I look forward to the moment I can settle down with a cuppa and read through them all. Hope you are doing well, and the jet lag has moved on. 🙂

". . .and the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and JOYFUL, by which we arrive at the ground at our own feet, and learn to be at home."
Wendell Berry